Chusetts



(No Model.)

ELECTRIC GUT-OUT. No. 493,755.

3 w n 9 v m EEEEEEEE m Md 1, M

/1 n. f d m 7 m m t wlness es .UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE CHARLES H.CROOKETT AND CHANOELLOR C. ALLEN, OF BOSTON, MASSA- OHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC CUT-OUT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 493,75 5, dated March21, 1893.

Application filed April 8, 1892. $erial No. 428,364. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES H. CEooKETT and CHANCELLOR O. ALLEN, ofBoston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented anImprovement in Electric Out-Outs, of which the following description,inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likeletters on the drawings representing like parts.

Our invention is embodied in an electric cut-out by which an easilydestructible or fusible conductor is interposed in an electric circuitso as to be destroyed and open the circuit in case of a dangerousincrease in current. The cut-out comprises a base portion adapted to befastened to the walls of a build- .ing and provided with wire clamps tomake connection with the circuit wires, which are interrupted betweenthe said wire clamps but are normally connected to complete the circuitby fuse wires supported in cap pieces that are detachable from said baseportion for the purpose of inspecting and introducing the said fusewires. The base portion and wire clamps thereon may be so arranged thatthe connections through the fuse wires normally complete the two mainlines of the circuit, or such connection through the fuse wires may bemade between the two wires of the main circuit respectively and theterminals of a branch circuit to be supplied with current from said maincircuit, in which latter case the main circuit wires are unbroken at thecut out.

The invention relates especially to the means by which the cap portionsof the cutout are connected with the base portion, and the electricalconnections made between the Wires in the base portion and the fusewires in the cap portions. The cap portion of the cut-out is made in twoparts each containing a fuse wire that connects together two of the wireterminals in the base portion, and the said cap portions are connectedwith the base portion, by a spring coupling that enables the cap to beapplied or removed without the use of tools and which makes an efficientelectrical connection between the clamp member on the cap piece and thecorresponding clamp member on the base portion.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a main wire cutout embodying this invention,with one of the cap pieces removed, Fig. 2 an end elevation thereof,Fig. 3 atransverse section thereof, showing one of the clamp members inposition assumed when it is just about to be applied thereto, or removedtherefrom, Fig. 4 a plan View of a branch wire cut-out, and Fig. 5 aplan view of the inside of one of the cap members.

The base a is made of insulating material, preferably of porcelain, andis provided with openings (L to receive screws or other fastenings, bywhich it may be connected with the wall or the ceiling, of the building.The said base is provided with recesses in which are secured wire clampsb, 6 b b, which as best shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, are arranged toreceive the several terminals of the main feed wires w, 102, the wire tobeing thus broken between the clamps b, and b and the wire 20 betweenthe clamps b and b and there being a barrier a of the material of thebase portion between the severed terminals of the said wires. Electricalconnection is afforded, between the clamps 11,11 and the clamps b I),through fuse wires 0 contained in the cap portions (1 of the cut out,the said cap being made in two separate parts each containing a fusewire to make connection between a corresponding pair of wire clamps onthe base portion.

The two cap portions are detachably connected with the base portion andelectrical connection at the same time is maintained between theterminals of the fuse wires in the cap portion and the wire clamps onthe base portion by coupling pieces which will now be described. The cappieces (1 which may be made of the same material as the base, havefastened to them metal pieces 6, which are provided with wire clamps tomake connection with the ends of the fuse wires and are also properlyconstructed to constitute one member of a coupling to co-operate with acorresponding coupling member on the base portion. The said couplingmember on the cap portion consists essentially of ashank or arm f havingat its end an inclined offset f The coupling member on the base portioncomprises a rigid arm 9 having recesses or seat portions 9 that receivethe offset portion f of the clamping memberfas shown, and opposite thesaid seat g is a flat spring g which by its engagement with the shankportion of the coupling memberf forces the said coupling member firmlyinto the seat g as shown at the right hand in Fig. 3. The portions g gof the clamp member on the base portion of the cut-out are connectedwith the wire clamps 1), 11 &c., and are thus in electrical connectionwith the wires secured in said wire clamps, and when the coupling memberfis introduced into the corresponding coupling member g, g g the saidmember f is thus brought into electrical connection with thecorresponding wire clamp in the base portion.

The operation of the coupling device is best shown in Fig. 3. The seatportion of the coupling member 9 inclines toward the spring g as shownso that when the parts are coupled together it is almost impossible toseparate them by a direct pull in the line of the shank f, of theremovable coupling member, but by turning the said coupling member orbyswinging the entire cap piece in the direction of the arrow at theright hand of Fig. 3, the extremity of the offset f, of the removablecoupling member will pivot or fulcrum in the apex of the seat recess inthe stationary coupling member, and the angle between the shank f andoffset f will have a cam action upon the spring g forcing it asideenough to permit the offset f to be moved from the position withrelation to the other coupling member shown at the right hand of Fig. 3,to the relative position shown at the left hand of Fig. 3, when the saidoffset portion f can be freely withdrawn from between the spring andseat portion of the other coupling member.

In applying the cap, or engaging the coupling, the offset f is placed inthe seat of the other coupling member by holding the cap about in theposition shown at the left hand in Fig. 3, after which the cap ispressed down toward the base portion, turning on the point of engagementbetween the end of the offset and the seat of the other clamp member,and prying back the spring g which in the last part of the movement willact upon the angle between the shank f and offset f and tend to throwthe said parts around into proper engagement wit-h the seat as shown atthe right hand in Fig. 3.

This coupling device is extremely simple but at the same time strong anddurable, making a very secure mechanical fastening for holding the capon the base and also an extremely eificient electrical connection.

By having the cap made in two parts as shown, either one of the fusewires may be replaced without disturbing the other, and either portionof the cap may be opened or turned to the position shown at the lefthand in Fig. 3, so as to expose the fuse wire for inspection withoutbreaking the electrical connection between the coupling members.

The base portion shown in Fig. 4, is arranged to make connection betweenthe two main wires 10 w, of a feed circuit and the terminals 10 w of abranch to be supplied. The said main wires in this construction are notbroken but pass wholly through channels formed in the base portion asshown, one wire connecting with the wire clamp b and the other with thewire clamp 19 while the branch wires M2 10, are also introduced inchannels forming the base portion at right angles to those that receivethe main wire said branch leading 01f to either side of the base as maybe preferred. One of said branch wires connects with the clamp b and theother with the clamp b which clamps are provided w1th coupling membersthe same as in the main line cut-out shown in Fig. 1, so that cap piecesof the same construction as already described may be used to connect theclamps 1), b through a fuse wire, and the clamps b 1), through anotherfuse wire, thus connecting the positive and negative wires of the maincircuit with the corresponding terminals of the branch circuit throughthe said fuse wires.

We claim 1. The herein described cut-out comprising the base portionprovided with two sets of wire clamps, insulated from one another bysaid base portion and each provided with a spring coupling member,combined with a cap composed of two parts each provided with twocoupling members cooperating with a pair of the coupling members on thebase, said coupling members on each part of the cap being connected by afuse wire which thus completes the circuit between the correspondingpair of wire clamps on the base portion when the said coupling membersare engaged, substantially as described.

2. The coupling members provided with a seat recess as 9 and a spring as9 opposite thereto, combined with the cooperating coupling member havinga shank and ofiset inclined thereto, co-operating with said seat andspring as described, said coupling being engaged and disengaged by arocking or pivotal movement of one member relative to the other,substantially as described.

3. The combination of the base portion of an electric cutout composed ofinsulating ma terial and provided with recesses and a barrier betweenthe same; with two pairs of wire clamps secured in the said recesses,and a cap composed of two independently movable parts, each of saidparts having two wire clamps connected by a fuse wire and adapted toengage with one pair of the wire clamps on the base portion to provideelectrical connection between the same through the fuse wire,substantially as described.

4. The base portion for an electric cut-out provided with two pair ofmetallic wire clamps, each provided with one member of a spring couplinghaving a seat recess and a spring opposite thereto, said couplingmemnames to this specification in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

CHARLES H. OROOKETT. CHANOELLOR C. ALLEN. Witnesses:

J 0s. P. LIVERMORE, CHARLES E. LOWD.

